Help with a mouldy worm farm

[Chris Willis]

I'm wondering if white fluffy mould appearing on the surface of my worm farm is normal or not. Since putting the last food scraps into the farm it is smelling quite badly. Can anyone shed light into what I'm doing wrong....or not

[eco4560]

You could send a PM to briansworms - he's the local worm expert - Composting Worms

[permup]

Chris, send me an email to paula@permup.com and I will send you an education sheet on how to keep worm farms. The mould is normal, but the smell isn't.

[Grasshopper]

When I put prawn heads in my bin, it stunk for a few days I added lime problem solved pretty quickly.
I don't worry about white mould it comes and goes.

[briansworms]

Smelly worm farm means there is a number of issues you need to address.
1. Is there any worms in the farm? If yes there is probably not many.
2. How deep is the bedding? ( Bedding is the organic material they live in) Worms need space to live and food (veggie scraps etc)is not bedding.
3. Do you have a stackable worm farm? These are prone to problems if not used properly and most people find their worms either don't thrive or just die out in them.
4. You are over feeding for the number of worms you have.

If you have worms then there is no need to buy more unless the numbers are so low and would take some time to re establish the population to a healthy level. The bedding is essential and at least 250mm to 300mm deep. If you have a stackable farm fill the bottom tray and at least half the next tray with horse manure. Not too fresh or it can heat up at that depth. You can add some every couple of days till the desired depth is reached. Just soak it with water if it is dry and allow to drain first.

When you notice the worms are through the bedding you can start feeding small amounts of food over the surface. As the worms eat it and not before you can add more. Every few days just dig over the top 150mm of the bedding to add oxygen to the bedding which in turn increases your microbial count (good). Keep the bedding damp but not dripping wet and put a cover over the bedding eg. old carpet or felt underlay and keep this damp.

As your worm population increases then you can feed more. Chook pellets/Layers mash, Coprha, fresh manures (horse ,cow) are all excellent food sources. Feed these in addition to your veggie scraps.

For further reading check out my Information Section on my website. I sell worms as a hobby and I try to keep my website updated with useful information ( as I get smarter) rather than just what I am selling.

[Chris Willis]

Thank you for your reply....smell seems to have gone...thank goodness :-)

[Pakanohida]

When I put prawn heads in my bin, it stunk for a few days I added lime problem solved pretty quickly.
I don't worry about white mould it comes and goes.

Same, I dont worry at all except when it stinks, then it is time to add more paper or cover it up some other way.

[Pakanohida]

I sell worms as a hobby and I try to keep my website updated with useful information ( as I get smarter) rather than just what I am selling.

Thank you for that. I've learned a lot from you over the past year and got 2 worm farms of my own now.

[briansworms]

Thank you for that. I've learned a lot from you over the past year and got 2 worm farms of my own now.

Thank you, your comments make it all worth while.

[PeterW]

This is a slightly different issue, but since it's worms, I have a question. My worm farm is doing quite well without demanding too much messing round or adjustment, but there are millions of slater bugs in there - they seem to be almost as numerous as the worms. It also seems that they keep more on the surface, compared to the worms who are through the material in there. I am wondering if I should worry about the earwigs, and is there something I can or should do to reduce them?

I've just been out for an update, and I see that the slaters predominate where the material is drier, where it's wetter and more gluggy the worms hold their own and you could pick them up by the fistful. Perhaps there lies the answer - more attention to the moisture/dryness balance.